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Nonsan
=Overview= Nonsan is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It is located at . The city consists of villages that have grown together and some outlying towns. The character is a mix of rural mentality and innumerable city-neighborhood stores and eateries, with high-rise complexes scattered among and between, and a modicum of urban amenities. There are a few old houses in traditional style - mostly in disrepair. The population is about 140,000. There is a mid-sized university (Konyang), but it only puts a stamp on the campus-town that has sprung up across from the main entrance. To Korean men, Nonsan is quite well known, since the army training center for soldiers beginning their compulsory training is there. In Nonsan, rise before seven, and you'll experience Korea's morning calm. =Transportation= Getting there By air *There is no airport directly serving Nonsan. *From Incheon International Airport: --> Ochang IC --> Central Expressway --> Cheongju IC --> Seodaejeon IC --> Nonsan IC --> Nonsan *The nearest commercial airport is Cheongju International Airport. **By car - From Cheongju International Airport: Take Expressway 1 south toward Daejon, switch to Expressway 251 going southwesterly (circumventing Daejeon). There are now two alternatives: 1) (shorter distance) Get off onto Highway 1 by Gyeryong, heading west in the direction of Gyeryong and Nonsan and continue on to Nonsan. 2) (a little longer; quicker) Get off at Yeonmu and go back north a bit on highway 1 to Nonsan, coming in from the south. **By train - have to check on this By Rail Nonsan is connected by high-speed rail to Deajeon in one direction and the southwest in the other. Seoul and Busan can be reached by trains stopping in Deajeon or by transfering at that metropolis. The train station is downtown. Taxis are available at the station twenty-four seven. From Seoul: Honam Line: Seoul - Nonsan Station (06:05~23:50, every 50 minutes, travel time: 2 hours 30 minutes) Jeolla Line: Seoul - Nonsan Station (07:35~22:23, every 1 hour 10 minutes, travel time: 2 hours 30 min) Slower trains are also available. By Bus There are three inter-city bus stations in Nonsan: one is down-town on the main NS drag, sort of near the train station but obviously on the other side of the tracks; another is on the same street south of 5-Points; a third serves Konyang University from just inside the side gate. Busses depart regulalry to major South Korean cities. Seoul can be reached in under three hours. The trip to Daejon takes about half an hour. The KYU station does not operate busses on Sundays and not on all Saturdays. Express bus service to Seoul Gangnam Terminal - Yeonmu - Nonsan Weekdays: 6:30 A.M. ~ 7:50 P.M., every 40 min, travel time: 2 hours 40 minutes Weekends: 10:15 P.M. (Night buses are operated and the operation has increased to run every 30 minutes) By Car Honam Expressway: Seo (West) Daejeon Toll Gate (National Road No. 1) - Nonsan Highway 4 / 25 connects Nonsan to Daejeon. Getting Around Because Nonsan grew out of a number of villages that have grown together, there are a number of commercial districts some-what separated by more residential and agricultural stretches. Still, it is easy to walk around or bike through Nonsan, there being generally adequate sidewalks and bike-paths in this city of 136,000. For example, it takes 30-45 minutes to walk from 5-Points (downtown) to KYU (Konyang University). However, when it has rained or snowed, the highly polished curbs are dangerously slippery. Staying There Temporary There are some hotels and motels in and near Nonsan, including one less than a hundred meters from the train station. A cheap alternative is to stay overnight in a jimjillban. Longer Term To reside in Korea, a foreigner needs an appropriate visa. Please check with government authorities. The office responsible for Nonsan residents is in Daejon by Sun Hospital. The telephone number is 42-254-1391. Being Understood Outside of the university and some professional offices, one comes across few people who can speak more than a few if any words in any language other than Korean. English is the most commonly understood, distantly followed by Japanese and German (or perhaps Chinese). Even at the university, many students and staff can only communicate in Korean. While there is a local way of speaking, it is not a lot different from standard Korean, which will be perfectly understood and is often spoken any-way. Municipal Transit Rail There is no municipal rail service. Bus There is regular city bus service seven days a week, fares being less than 1,000 won. Private transportation Taxis run all night, with cruisers almost always available at least until well past midnight. The city is not very large, so walking and biking are easy options. Many or perhaps even most of the sidewalks and bike-paths are surfaced with a pebbly rubberized material that makes for secure and comfortable going, but beware of the finely polished curb-stones and some steps that are dangerously slippery when wet. People do not hitchhike in Korea. =Character= Social-Psychological Nonsan is in mentality more of a large village than a small city. The day begins slowly, and the police usually seem to have little more to do than direct traffic at a few intersections (blowing their whistles contiuously from about 7:00 A.M. until about 8:30 A.M.) and tool around with their lights flashing. Peppers, rice, fruits, etc. are dried right on the sidewalks and in front of apartment stairwells. Children often giggle and call out a "How are you?" or some other memorized phrase when they happen upon a foreigner. Cars will occasionally stop in the middle of a fairly major street so that the drivers can say hello and talk about what-ever. School-girls walk the streets even after ten at night, after finishing studying and eating out with friends - and there is no fear. The high incidence of pubs seems to increase the albeit low amount of rowdiness, which in an extreme case might result in the bashing in of a car window. The school children and university students are full of vim and vigor, while the older people seem dour and avoid eye contact except when trying to sell a foreigner something. A foreigner who overpays because of mistaking a price or coins or bills is almost certain to be corrected in a pleasant manner. Many stores stay open until ten at night, and it is even possible to find street-side stands selling almost until midnight. Twenty-four-hour convenience stores serve the relatively quiet but definitely present night-time people. Visual Overview To the Western eye, Nonsan presents a queer mixture of clusters of modern high-rise appartments soaring in some cases to over a score floors and garish-fronted small shops, vegetablegardens, and even rice fields, and street-side stands. Many buildings stand at an angle to the street they front. The streets are paved and clean and generally lined with paved or rubber-pebbled sidewalks and not rarely bike-lanes, though vacant lots tend to collect trash. Nonsan's main streets are mostly little more than slightly inclined, though side streets can be as steep as five to maybe ten percent in rare cases. The city is surrounded by red-earth farms, many of them with poly-tents clear or black covering the fields, and ringed some-what more distantly with sylvan mountains. Trees and, to a certain extent flowers, are present on all but the most commercial stretches, so that in the spring and to a certain extent the summer and fall, the city looks green from street level and almost parklike from the hills or high apartment windows. The soil is sandy of a strong orange hue, reminiscent of Georgia's red clay. Graffiti are quite rare. The streets are regularly cleaned, though piles of trash or recyclable furniture and other property can stay around for some time. Empty lots collect clutter and trash. Banners are hung to congratulate, celebrate, and advertize, addind to the colorful appearance of the streets. During the day, the vehicular traffic is constant, and the commercial streets - especially in the area around the traditional market - have a constant flow of pedestrians. After night-fall, the pedetrain traffic starts to dwindle, so that by ten (around the time even the larger stores close) it is thin except around schools and areas of many places to eat. At this time, the streets are fairly thickly lined with parked vehicles parked parallel or at an angle and even on corners. By midnight, only the occasional pedestrian is seen on the sidewalks, and the autos are only moderately numerous on the major streets. But all through the night, there is at least some vehicular traffic. The people going to and fro are of all ages but almost exclusively Korean. Clothing tends toward casual and work clothes; even on holidays traditional Korean clothing is almost unseen. Some are underway because of work, but many seem to be strolling about. Children use bikes and busses, are driven by parents, or walk, and are quite visible, wearing their school uniforms during the school-year if they are old enough. More than just a few adults use bicycles and motor-scooters. A typical scene is one of the elderly men who collect cardboard, flattening boxes and stacking them onto an old, heavy-duty bike, for recycling. Architecture From a distance, the city appears as do many other Korea cities; clusters of tall, modern, light-colored apartment buildings. Closer up, the city reveals a more mixed architecture. Most of the buildings are rather unimaginative blocky constructions, having a rather lot of glass if they are commercial venues. Tucked away along winding paved paths are some traditional houses. Most of these are between Five-Points and the Nonsan Girl's High School. There is no truly outstanding building in Nonsan. Still, there are some structures that catch the eye. First among these are two churches. The stadium, sleek, modern and seemingly oversized for the city, is also worth a look. Probably the most entertaining building to see is what looks like a fairy castle north-east of the built-up area; it is apparently a kindergarden. Public Art As soon as the traveller departs the train station, he is met by three sculptures, naturalistic and abstract. There is an elephantine metal abstract sculpture in front of the stadium and some smaller works around back. Some abstract sculptures grace the KYU campus as well. Many of the burial areas in the hills of Nonsan have commercially made stone markers of various designs. The cultural center has a small stone sculpture of some interest by the bike racks. If one considers standing stones with writing on them, then public art can be found at many public buildings and some private ones. There are also over ninety 장승 (chang seung: carved wooden figures) and simple small landscape paintings along some of the trails in the hills. Five-Points is graced by a number of murals along the underpass walls. At the lake, there is also a (historical) mural on a wall in front of one of the traditional restaurants. Nonsan through the Seasons * Spring does not break upon the town suddenly, but comes in fits and starts. Sometimes it is born on a west wind, bearing "yellow dust" from across the sea from China, lightly coatingeverything indoors and out. But after some point, the colors of spring burst upon the town, with an exaltation of flowers bringing great joy to the still shivering Nonsanites. * Summer simmers the souls in sultry, sticky heat. The locals generally do not like summer, complaining of the heat and mugginess. Lethargy makes a go at many otherwise active individuals. Most years, rains are frequent and heavy. Street-cleaners use large pincette-like trash pickers to keep the streets and sidewalks clean. * Autumn slowly shoulders summer's heat out of the way toward the end of September. Although rains may fall, most days are characterized by clear skies, hot and then warm days with mild to chilly nights, until the cool days set in sometime in mid or late October. The cherry trees have long lost their leaves, lining some streets and roads like sullen soldiers, before the gingkos' leaves start turning to yellow and the persimmons shine like too early bright orange Christmas ornaments on too-old barren trees. The cosmos blossoms decorate many streetsides, while the streets themselves as well as the sidewalks are decked with rice grains drying on ribbons of plastic sheeting. Later, the rice will be packed into sacks waiting to be picked up and hauled away in flatbed trucks. For some time longer, the hills keep their green color, but the grass is decked with the yellow gingko leaves fallen from the trees. Street cleaners have replaced their trash pickers with brooms, daily sweeping up the slowly accumulating leaves. * Winter comes with cold winds, some snow, and clear skies. Since most of the trees in and around are deciduous and the fields are barren and what grass there is turns tan, a certain drabness comes over the city. The street-cleaners turn to sweeping snow with twig brooms. Street-side eateries put up heavy plastic coverings to give their clientele some warmth while eating. =Shopping= Bakeries Three chains dominate Nonsan's bread scene: Crown, and two that style themselves as French bakeries, selling baguettes as well as white and mild brown breads and sweet baked goods. There are a few independent bakeries, including Koreana Bakery near "boutique-ville" selling soft cracked-wheat bread and their specialty, "mocha bread" as well as normal bakery fare. In addition, Uri Home Market (See below, under "Grocery Stores") has its own bakery section, with an emphasis on sweet baked goods (cakes, doughnuts, cookies). Children's / Toy Stores There is a store near Da Sarang that sells items for children, including clothes, toys, games, and recorded music. Across the street is a small shop with a more extensive selection of children's clothing. In the area between Buyong apts. and the DC store, there are a number of children's clothing stores. Department StoresX Clothing Stores Boutique-ville is what one could call the area abutting the traditional market in the direction of 5-Points. Here one finds a large number of small shops selling Korean and international brands (asics; Everlast, Puma, etc.) and knock-offs in mostly specialized, even one-brand, stores. Snuggled in among these shops along the winding pedestrian ways are various other small stores such as bakeries, miscellaneous stores, household goods stores, and pharmacies, as well as a good variety of Korean-style eateries. Grocery Stores There are numerous small grocery stores as well as transient sellers of fruits, vegetables and sundries. There are also supermarkets: * Uri Home Market / 우리음마트 (on the street that runs by KYU's side entrance, near the stadium), * another supermarket (not too far from 5-Points: (Behind the Hwang San Building / 황산빌딩 on Man Nam 1-gil / 만남1길)). Fruits can also be had at a large wholesaler "shed" down the hill from Uri-Mart (various sellers) and at a wholeseller store on the street running by the Nonsan girls' high school. Rice and other grains as well as flour can be bought in bulk at a few specialty places in town. They can be identified by the products visible in their window spaces. A certain amount of bargaining can be done with the transient and bulk sellers, and an extra item or two might be tossed in as "service" - especially if the transaction has been friendly. Traditional Markets There is a large traditional market, with hundreds of stalls selling fresh and dried fish, local produce, shipped Korean foods, and sundries. The market is covered but not indoors. It is open seven days a week. On Thursdays, there is a smaller outdoor market across from Uri Home Mart. Convenience Stores Among the many convenience stores are * at least two Buy the Ways (one in campus-town). *GS 25 has a number of branches/franchises. Electronics Stores There are both small and a few large electronics and computer stores. Home and Garden Stores * DC, a fascinating general store with every-thing from household tools to shampoo, from dinner plates to stereos, and batteries to towels packed in and around it has one branch located on a corner one or two blocks from the Nonsan Girls' Middle School, in the direction of KYU. There is another branch across from Uri Home Mart. In and approaching boutique-ville, there are a few other five-and-dime type stores. Key-Makers There are a number of key and lock shops in the city. One is on the main NE-SW drag, a bit east of 5-Points. Another one, inexpensive and with friendly staff, is kitty-corner from Konyang girls' high school. Shoe-Repair Shops Cobblers and leather-workers There is a very small, expensive shoe-repair shop across Uri Home Mart. There is also a shoe-repair shop near the main bus station. Sports Stores Sports stores sell clothing and equipment for traditional Korean sports as well as for fitness activities and a number of Western sports. There is one store on the main E-W street down-town, a bit west of 5-Points (오구리). There is another one near the Nonsan Girl's High school. One that sells exercize equipment along with other sports items is on the street perpendicular to the one running along the side of KYU: the last chance to turn before getting to the Nonsan Girls' Middle School. There is also two fishing-gear stores near the same school. Bicycle Shops There are more than four bike shops, all selling Korean-made bicycles. Only one of them (just south of 5-Points) has anything as large as a 27" bike. These shops also service bikes. Book Stores Nonsan has both new and used book stores. Foreign literature and textbooks are not common but can be occasionally found, though a trip to Deajeon or Seoul is recommended for serious foreign-language book-lovers. General StoresX Second-Hand Shop *The city government operates a very inexpensive shop a bit south-east of 5-Points, selling videos, books, and clothing. Clothes that are brought in are exchanged for specially made soaps, shampoos, etc., as part of an effort to encourage recycling. *For used furniture, simply cruise the streets, looking for discarded items. These are often in quite good condition, but be sure not to take a store's furniture left outside between uses! =Nonsan's Restaurants and Bars= : There are hundreds of small Korean restaurants serving typical foods such as kimbap and soups. They are scattered through-out the city, so that finding one is perhaps the easiest thing you can do in Nonsan. Complete meals start at around 2 or 3 thousand won (ca. $2-$3 U.S.) and are rarely over 10,000 unless it is for a fish, meat or foreign dish. :An elegant (and expensive) restaurant serving sumptuous traditional meals is the Pine-Tree Restaurant (소나무), across the large street running by the stadium. Traditional Korean Food *A fine, expensive traditional restaurant in a pleasant-looking building with a very wide range of side dishes is the 소나무, across the feeder from the stadium. * One of the best (but not cheapest) restaurants for standard Korean fare, including a generous and varioud paek pan for about 7,000 won a head, is near the giant Buddha, 041-736-1312. *Throughout the city, though, there are hundreds of other restaurants serving varieties of traditional Korean fare. Complete meals with little or no meat are usually priced between 2,500 and 7,000 won. Local Specialties Fish and Seafood *Hwangsan Restaurant (yellow swellfish broth): 41-745-4836 *Geumgang Restaurant (yellow swellfish broth): 41-745-5122 *Dolsan Grill Restaurant (wi - eaten raw): 41-745-0706 *Hansan Restaurant (wi - eaten raw): 41-745-0556 *Sansu Pavilion Restaurant (catfish chowder): 41-741-3302, *Ttoksori Hot Chowder Restaurant (catfish chowder): 41-741-0927, *Shinpung Hot Chowder Restaurant (catfish chowder): 41-732-7754 *Twin Hot Chowder Restaurant (catfish chowder): 41-742-1409 **In addition, some of the general restaurants serving Korean-style food have a small selection of fish dishes. Shrimp or octopus in rice can be had at most of them, and deep-fried shrimp, scallops, etc. is common at hofs. **There are some excellent expensive restaurants around the near-by lake, seving various fish, including eel. Other *Chestnut Tree Garden (Chestnut jelly, fried chestnut dish and chestnut noodle): 41-732-7979 *Ogol Chicken Restaurant (Boiled Ogol Chicken in water): 41-736-0707 **A number of places serve, and some deliver, chicken. Most places deep-fry their chicken, but rotisseried chicken can also be had. The best such is just down the street (away from KYU) from Uri-Mart, on the other side of the street, with the chickens cooking over a fire outside. One small stuffed chicken costs six thousand won; two cost man won. Fast Food and Noodles Foreign Foods There are at least two Italian-food restaurants (Da Sarang, Bellevue), three or more Japanese or pseudo-Japanese short-order restaurants, two Japanese restaurant down-town (one at 33 만나ㅡ 1 길 near the former Korus Mart serving a luncheon special for 만 won from noon until 3 p.m. and one near 5-Points, just off the street running to KYU), and more than three Korean-style Chinese short-order restaurants (one just off of Highway 23 south of 5-Points, one in campus-town). A large number of places offer pizza (including a Pizza Hut), though at a much higher price than chicken or Korean foods generally run. Many of these also serve fried chicken and/or spaghetti. Fried chicken is also available at a number of other restaurants. Many of these provide food by delivery. There is also a fast-food restaurant near Konyang University serving hamburgers and brats. Near Uri-Mart (going toward KYU), there is SandDay, which serves a fairly large variety of sandwiches (menu in Korean and English). At the lake, Lake Hills Hotel has a restaurant that serves a limited selection of Korean-tinged nouvelle cuisine (filet mignon, prawns, steaks) at fairly hefty prices. Pub-style bars Nonsan has an abundance of "Hofs," including *Buzz, in Konyang University's campus-town, which has an interesting mixed-sasuage plate as well as Korean food. *Yes, Hof & Restaurant *Fox's Pub (Rest & Hof) *Watermelon Sugar, near Buyong Apartments, which boasts a dance floor (but which doesn't seem to get beyond the boast on that score) - considered by some to be the best place to meet young Koreans. Most hofs offer a nice assortment of Korean and some other food, including fruit platters, seaweed soup, and deep-fried sea-food. Beer is pretty much limited to Hite and a couple of other brands not considered especially appealing by the locals. Soju dives A number of tiny establishments lie cheek-by-jowl on the west side of the railroad right of way. =Entertainment= Noraebang There are some noraebangs (karaoke bars) in Nonsan. Some of them are along the street that runs by the side entrance of KYU. Others are in the area near Buyong apartments and downtown. There is also one (Versace) at the major intersection near the stadium. PC Pangs There are a fair number of PC-game places, e.g., on the street running along the side entrance of KYU and in campus-town. Discos and Dance Halls There are none. Live Theater and Dance Performance Centers The university has a concert hall where guest concerts and dance performances can be seen without charge. Unfortunately, the performances only take place about once a month or even less frequently. KYU's Theatre Department and other groups on campus occasionally put on plays and other performances in Korean and in English in the smaller theatre in the Economics Building or in other auditoriums on campus. The city's cultural center also has a stage in a relatively large auditorium. Movie Theaters There is one movie theatre in the downtown area (in "Boutique-ville"). It is a multi-screen facility which shows both current Korean movies and some Hollywood fare. =Services= Auto Service There are Daewoo and Kia and probably other service centers. There is an auto parts store across from the school on the street that runs by KYU's side entrance and a service garage on the same street. At the northern end of town, along the main drag, can be found a plethora of tire and auto-parts and -service shops. There are gas stations along most of the major roads leading into town as well as ones in the city proper. At least one (near city hall) has a car-wash machine. Car Rental A car rental company is located between KYU and the bowling alley (on the KYU side of the street. Fitness and Sports Centers and Facilities There are several fitness studios and centers for learning various martial arts (TKD, gumdo, hapkido, traditional Korean archery), a community center, and a large soccer stadium open for public use at no cost (with tennis, badminton, volleyball, track, basketball, indoor croquet, weight training, inline, skate-board, 족구 tennis, traditional drumming,and table-tennis facilities). The soccer field itself is restricted to registered clubs. Konyang University and at least two other institutions have outdoor tennis courts and baseball fields. There are a number of soccer fields, clay running tracks, and tradtional Korean wrestling rings at various educational institutions. Commercial golf driving "ranges" (with net systems) are to be found in the city. Between KYU and Uri Home Mart there is a small place with batting cages and kids' trampolines. There is one bowling facility, down the street from KYU. It is reasonably priced and has at least modern twelve lanes, but the balls are restricted in sizes of finger-holes, Fitness paths and exercise stations along sidewalks are to be found in a few spots in the city. Baths and Jimjilbangs * General Society Welfare Center (459, Jisan-dong, Nonsan City; telephone: 82-41-730-1646) *There is 불가마사우나, a very nice modern sauna center across the major street from the stadium. There are various hot-tubs and a steam sauna in the separate men's and women's areas, where one is nude. In the joint-use area, where one wears the provided sweatsuit-like outfits, there are four dry saunas and and "ice-pang" as well as massage chairs, sleeping areas, large-screen t.v.s, and food services. A family atmosphere abounds. One can stay as long as one wishes, even through the entire night. The cost for an adult is 5,000 won (4 for entry, 1 for sweatsuit). Towels, soap, lotion, etc. are provided free-of-extra-charge. Toothbrushes, razors, hand-scrubbers can be bought at reasonable prices. Body scrubs and massages are available. *Another, even newer jimjilbang with much the same facilities is located outside of the developed area, toward Daejeon. It charges 5,000 won. Cultural and Community Centers * The Culture and Arts Center (279-3, Nae-dong; telephone: 82-41-734-0815) * General Society Welfare Center (459, Jisan-dong, Nonsan City; telephone: 82-41-730-1646) Facilities for Seniors, Infants, Women, Youth, People with Special Needs, Foreigners * General Society Welfare Center (459, Jisan-dong, Nonsan City; Telephone : 82-41-730-1646): Free of charge: Physiotherapy room, physical training room, senior citizens restaurant for low income seniors, Day care center for senior citizens and a day care center for children. - Paid facilities: Beauty salon and barbershop, public bath, general education that is free of charge for senior citizens aged 60 and older. * Youth Training Center: The Youth Training Center includes a Youth Culture House, a gym, a consultation room and a lecture room. - Location: 785, Jisan-dong - Telephone : 82-41-733-8502, 8503. Fax : 82-41-733-8505 - Hours to use: Weekdays 09:00~21:00 - Saturdays and Sundays 09:00~21:00 * YWCA: There is a small YWCA building at 5-Points. * Nonsan Female Migrant Center: Down the side street near Lotteria down-town. Tel.: 336-1010. Libraries The city library, which is pleasantly climate controlled, is located between Buyong Apartments and Five-Points, near the second-hand shop. It has no general or reference books in English, but it does have Korean English-language newspapers. There is a branch library in the stadium. Access to the University's library is restricted to people holding KYU i.d. cards. The library has academic and some general magazines (e.g., Italic text''Time, Newsweek and National Geographic) in English as well as many books in English, Chinese and a few in other languages as well as its Korean-language books. Educational Facilities * Songjeong-ri is a Nonsan village for the study of the Chinese Classics. Telephone number: 82-41-734-1447 * There are a number of hogwans that tutor English and some other subjects. * There are a number of high schools and technical schools in Nonsan, including a Girl's high school. * Konyang University, offering B.A.s, M.A.s, Ph.D.s, and M.D.s, has about 7,000 students. *Geumgang University is a South Korean Buddhist university located in the country-side, under the shadow of Gyeryong Mountain, near Wonsan and between Nonsan and Daejeon. Hair Styling Available at the General Society Welfare Center and in private shops around town. Laundry, Tailoring and Dry Cleaning Most neighborhoods have at least one laundry. Generally, the laundry can also provide tailor services. Shoe Repair There is an expensive cobler's stuck in a a tiny space across the street from Uri-Home-Mart. His selection of replacement soles and heels is limited. There is also a cobler's downtown near the regional bus terminal. Health Care Facilities Hospitals * Paekje Hospital * Doctor's Offices There are a number of medical clinics in Nonsan. At least one of them is a traditional Oriental medicine clinic. This new clinic is located upstairs in the new building next to Uri Home Mart. Dentists' Offices Dr. Lee's practice (downtown a block or two west of 5-Points) includes both normal dental care and oral surgery. The dentists speak English well. The dental assistants speak some English. The desk personnel speak Korean and nothing else. The quality of care seems to be up to snuff. Pharmacies There are a number of pharmacies in the city, so that one is never far from relief. Veterinary Services KYU completed a building for a School of Veterinary Science in 2006. Travel Agencies There is presumably one travel agency in Nonsan. =Utilities= Water While tap water is considered tolerably safe, locals recommend boiling the water before drinking it. An alternative is to get water from one of the municipal "wells." One is located by the stadium, and another is near the tax office (next to the LP gas station). Many people simply buy bottled water at grocery stores. Electrical Service Universal Communications Radio and television reception are limited, though extensive cable coverage is available for additional fees. Internet Coverage Many private homes are equipped with high-speed Internet connections. There are also Internet cafes, e.g., on the street that runs along the side entrance to the university. Students at KYU have free access to hundreds of Internet PCs through-out the campus. Telephone Service * Mobile telephones are ubiquitious. * Pay 'phones are relatively common, and most or all can take cards or coins (no larger than 100 won). However, there are different types of 'phones, each using different cards. Using pay 'phones for international calls can be very difficult, even with the help of a bilingual Korean. Neighborhoods corrections!!! A map will be added in the future, to make this section clearer. Each of the original towns or villages that formed Nonsan has at least something of a commercial center, in some cases more than one. * Banwol-dong (반월동) This includes most of Nonsan's downtown. The traditional market, Nonsan Movie Theatre (논산극장) and "Boutique-ville" are in this neighborhood. Nonsan Train Station is in Banwol-dong as well. *Hwaji-dong (화지동) This area abuts the tradtional market. *Buchang-dong (부창동) Daerim Apartments, St. Paul's private Catholic Girl's School and the Cosa market are all in this less developed area in the northwest, near the river. *''Jisan-dong'' (지산동) Here is the Gen. Soc. Welfare Center. *''Nae-dong'' This includes the large apartment complexes Jae-il, J Park, A-ju, Nol-mui, Dong-shin and Canary. It is also where Uri-Home Mart and Hai Tai Mart are. Nonsan City Hall (시장) is here too. The Cultural Center is located in the western part of this district. I believe this includes KYU. There is a campus-town across from the main gate belonging to a different neighborhood. Here are copy shops/printers with fast service, two smallish grocery stores, a plethora of small inexpensive and a few upper-scale restaurants and fast-food places (brats, hamburger, kimbap, sandwiches). Ice-cream bars and the like are available as well. Except for a few things like a disco, recorded music stores, a movie theater, and appreciable clothing stores, pretty much any-thing a student usually is looking for is to be found in this small shopping area. The university has a HanaBank, copying facilities, a book-store, jewelry store, and a post office as well as a number of student cafeterias open to all customers. * Gwanchok-dong (관촉동) The city's stadium and Banya-san are in this area west of Chiwma-dong and Nae-dong. *Chwiam-dong (취암동) This includes Paekje Hospital (백제병원). It is east of Gangsang-dong. *Gangsan-dong (간산동) In Nonsan's west, Kansan-dong incorporates Buyeong (where some native English speakers live), Dongshin and Changsol Apartment complexes as well as Gangsan Park across the highway. It is near Pekjae Hospital. *''Deunghwa-dong'' (등화동) The most Westward of Nonsan's neighborhoods contains Bonghwa-san Park with the old fortress remains. Natural Gas ServiceX Fuel Oil ServiceX Liquid Propane Service LP is used by many places to fuel supplementary heaters and cooking devices. Replacement cylinders are brought promptly (usually within half an hour). =Sanitation= Waste Separation RulesX Waste Pickup ScheduleX =Local Attractions= Specialty Products and Festivals * Annual Strawberry Festival held in the spring (Nonsan is the strawberry center of Korea.) * Ganggyeong Festival for traditional and delicious special salted seafood, usually held in October, is a five-day fair, with games, performances, contests (e.g., a singing contest for foreigners) and even some dried fish. It is held in Ganggyeong, an outlying town that lies on the bend of a major river and serves as the port of Nonsan. Museums *Konyang University has a small broadcasting museum. *General Gyebaek's Battlefield (San 14, Shinpung-ri, Bujeok-myeon). This site has been enhanced with a modern museum. * The Cultural Center often hosts exhibitions. Temples *Gwonchoksa Temple in Eunjin: standing stone Buddha carved out of the living rock, over 18 meters tall (Gwanchok-dong) *Ssanggyesa Temple (Jungsan-ri, Yangchon-myeon) *Gaetaesa Temple (Cheonho-ri, Yeonsan-myeon) Other *Tapjeong Reservoir Nonsan is attempting to make this into a regional tourist area. The road around the lake is being fixed up, and there are restaurants and boarding facilities galore. The hotels do not all have a positive image for the locals. *Mt. Daedun *Oknyeo Peak and Geum River *Noseong Hillfort *Mt. Gyeryong (Gyerongsan) Not far from Nonsan proper is this pleasant mountain or mountain range, with impressive Buddhist temples, a tourist strip with stores and restaurants aplenty, and pleasant hiking trails. The mountain is an officially designated park, and an entrance fee of a few thousand won is charged for those entering there. On the other hand, there are other trails on the mountain accessible from the town of Gyeryong that are less strenuous, less traveled, and free of charge. For these, take the inter-city bus from Nonsan and get off at the Gyeryong stop, cross the highway and generally angle back towards Nonsan, crossing the tracks and walking parallel to them. Head for the hills, and you should see some trails about a half a click outside of town. =Recreation= Fitness In addition to the government's free center, there are a number of gyms or fitness centers with weight and aerobic training (e.g., across from Uri-Home Mart). The private gyms vary in equipment and staff. They run around 20-50 thousand won per month. At least one street has a par-cours-like arrangement on it and there are at least two more elaborate arrangements in the hills. Swimming Free public beaches are on the sea, about an hour's drive to the west. To get to them by public transportation, take a bus going in the direction of Boryeong from the regional bus station (5,500 won). Get off at the nice Boryeong terminal and buy a ticket for the beach ("pada") for about 1,000 won. The sports school in Nonsan (near the stadium) has an indoor swimming pool with restricted hours for which a high monthly fee is charged. Daejeon and other cities not extremely far away have a number of swimming pools. Outdoor Activities Nonsan is located in a valley with hiking mountains pretty much surrounding it. The wooded hills with-in Nonsan have shorter trails, some with par-cours-like equipment. Similar equipment can also be found streetside. Hills and mountains near Nonsan that have hiking trails include * 노성성 (Historic Site # 393) lies about 12 km north of Nonsan. It includes a mostly easy walk with a steep hike to the top, past a fusion temple and on up to the remains of the Paekche fortress wall(not visible), the last line of defense against the Shilla forces. It is about a two hour walk. There are no no facilities for purchasing food, etc. It is a very lightly traveled path. Parks There are almost no true parks within the city proper other than the pleasant and popular wooded hills with numerous walking trails, though there is one at the Gwonchoksa Temple in Eunjin. On the edge of town, there is a sports park alongside the Nonsan River (This is where the Strawberry Festival is held). Behind the stadium, there is a small park with sculpture, grass and picnic facilities as well as a stimu-walk. There are some totlots scattered around the town, mostly by or in the large apartment complexes and often with a few benches, a basketball hoop, or exercize gadgets. In addition, on the edge of the urban area are wooded hills with hiking and modified par-cours trails as well as picnicking facilities. One such area is behind Konyang University. Another is beside Highway 23. Pool Halls There are a few billiard halls in Nonsan, including one on the street that runs by the side entrance of KYU and one in KYU's student union. Both pocket pool and billiard tables can be found at each facility. =Related Articles= The following articles are relevant to this city: *Gyeryong *Buyeo *Daejeon *Wikipedia article on Nonsan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonsan =External links= Here you can find some more information on this town. http://www.nonsan.go.kr/indexEng.php3